“We are not giving voting instructions,” declares the president of the Union of Local Businesses

Medef has strongly criticized the economic programs of the National Rally and the New Popular Front, but what about the bosses of VSEs and SMEs? Michel Picon, president of the Union of Local Businesses, is franceinfo’s eco guest.

What do bosses expect from legislative candidates? Medef has already revealed its conclusions deeming the programs of the New Popular Front and the RN dangerous for the French economy, but what do the heads of small businesses say? Michel Picon, president of U2P, the Union of local businesses which represents nearly 4 million VSEs, SMEs, crafts, commerce, liberal professions, or two thirds of French companies is the eco guest from franceinfo.

franceinfo: You received, with other employers’ organizations, the leaders of the major parties. What impression and state of mind did you come away with?

Michel Picon: We obtained a certain number of answers to the questions we had asked. Not necessarily answers that satisfied us, some which still left us in doubt, both from the candidates of the new Popular Front and from the candidates of the National Rally. Knowing that for the questions which were asked to Bruno Le Maire, we more or less knew the answers since it is a continuation of the policy carried out with some adjustments, but which are not likely to worry us.

A proposal made you jump that of the Left Alliance which proposes to increase the minimum wage to 1,600 euros net. The New Popular Front has completed this proposal a little, but is it not for you?

I always think of the listeners who are listening to us today and who are saying, why are they opposed to this measure? Because I realize how hard life must be for those below that. But businesses must be able to support this increase and according to the information we have, it will cause damage. The details given today do not reassure me. It offers companies to lend them money at zero interest to be able to cope with this measure.

The New Popular Front has costed its program, recognizing that in the first months, certain SMEs may need to be helped. So it offers support with a solidarity fund for development, for the 0% recovery of financial charges, 0% advances over one or two years by the public banking center if the financial situation is difficult and a credit system improved. Are you saying all this won’t be enough?

Personally, I am quite stunned that we can propose measures that we know from the start are not applicable. And we are told, but so that you can apply them, we will lend you money. We are still in a somewhat curious world. What I think is that we need to work on salaries, in fact, we have started there, but we need to send that back to the branches, sector by sector, where it is possible. We have already done a lot of things. I remind you that the hotel and catering industry increased salaries by 15% last year. When possible and when there is room, the branches can negotiate within the framework of social dialogue and jointism. But a sudden increase like that, applicable to everyone, I think is not reasonable.

I am going to talk to you about another proposal that of the RN with Jordan Bardella, which notably promises salary increases exempt from employer contributions up to a certain threshold and which also commits, in the event of an absolute majority in the Assembly, to a reduction in VAT on electricity, gas, fuel oil and fuels. What do you think ?

As for a 10% salary increase exempt from social security contributions, I would say that it is a disguise, but one that already exists. This is what we call the Macron bonus, which allows you to pay up to 3,000 euros excluding social security contributions. So, 10% in the 3,000 euros, there we are. Firstly, regarding the reduction in VAT, we are never certain that it will be passed on. They explain to me that we will put devices in place, but I am not sure that the French will find it at the pump because there will always be a good reason for the big oil companies to say that refining will increase or that production costs have increased. I’m quite skeptical. Generally speaking, Jordan Bardella smoothes over anyone he can upset and says, “We’ll talk about it later.”. It is still a blank check that is requested.

With this dissolution, there are bills which have disappeared and which are no longer certain to reappear in the next legislature, in particular that on simplification. Did you stick to this text?

We made 130 simplification proposals to streamline the activity of small businesses and remove the burden that eats up their time. This file is ready, it is under examination in the Senate and we have no guarantee that this work will be resumed, with the obvious exception of the outgoing majority. Businesses need continuity and readability. Just because others did it doesn’t mean it’s not good. We need to be a little more pragmatic, it seems to us.

Have you sent questionnaires to training courses to find out what candidates think about this or that subject?

We sent 21 priorities and we asked 15 extremely precise questions on lots of very important subjects. We don’t have any answers yet, but the answers should reach us Monday or Tuesday. We will transmit them to all the media and to all our members and then we have no voting instructions. We are not a political party. My mandate is to defend the interests of small businesses. And this mandate does not lead me to be able to say where is the good, where is the bad. Everyone will choose. The job of U2P is to shed light on this choice.

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